A 'passport vaccine' committee hearing gets feisty as the legislature enters its last three days; plus vacuum and cluster bombs | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | March 2, 2022 Today is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent. Observant Catholics and others may wear a smudge of ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads on this day of fasting and prayer. Be in the Know President Biden addressed the nation last night. "We're going to be OK," he said, as he also condemned Putin and praised Ukraine. Reps. Boebert and Greene interrupted his speech multiple times, including when he began to speak about his son Beau, a veteran who died from a brain tumor. Do you remember when Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at President Obama? It was a stunning breach of etiquette and he was admonished via resolution. Now, it's almost par for the course. Many politicians responded with statements and videos of their own, including Utah's governor, Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney and all four congressmen. Former Deseret News editor Boyd Matheson wrote prior to the speech the message of unity he would have given. The battle for Ukraine continues, with reports of "vacuum bombs" and "cluster bombs" being used by Russia. Here's a little explainer: Vacuum bombs, also known as "fuel-air explosives" (FAEs) or "thermobaric" bombs use oxygen from the air to generate high-temperature explosions. They can be launched as a rocket or dropped as a bomb. When it hits its target, the first of two explosive charges scatters a fuel mixture as a cloud, which can penetrate any building not completely sealed. The second explosive charge then detonates the fuel-filled cloud, sucking up all surrounding oxygen, resulting in a huge fireball and a massive wave blast. If more than one is used, they are mutually reinforcing and result in a larger blast. Russia has used them before, in Chechnya in 1999 and is accused of using them in Ukraine to target a preschool and an Army base. If they are used to target civilian populations, it can be considered a war crime. They are devastatingly lethal. Cluster munitions are called that because a single explosive then separates into many smaller munitions that are designed to kill people and destroy vehicles when they explode on impact. They are used to take out wide swaths of personnel but can also land unexploded, posing great danger to people on the ground who could come in contact with them. They are also banned under the Geneva Convention. Amnesty International confirmed that a cluster bomb was dropped on a preschool/kindergarten that was being used as a shelter and munitions experts say cluster bombs were used to strike Kharkiv on Monday. | | |
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2022 Legislative Session 42 days done, 3 days to go Committee meetings are done - now it's just floor time General Things got a little feisty yesterday during a committee hearing on vaccine passports when three people were removed from the committee room by the Utah Highway Patrol for refusing to comply with rules about decorum. The bill eventually passed. 2022 Legislative Session Week 6 with Special Guests: Rep. Kera Berkeland and Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion (Political as Heck) Today Floor Time House - 9:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - as needed Senate - 9:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - as needed Tomorrow Floor Time House - 8:00 - 12:00 pm, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm - as needed Senate - 9:00 - 11:50 am, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, 5 pm - as needed Education A Utah lawmaker wants a teacherâs license to be reviewed if they talk about controversial topics. A legislative committee voted to adjourn rather than hear the measure, which might spell defeat for it this session. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Senate Education Committee debates ethnic studies standard for students (KUER) âPornographic or indecentâ book ban in Utah schools advances on a near party-line vote (KUER) Government Operations Utah House OKs rule limiting media access to floor (Deseret News) Health and Human Services Should Utah cities do more to shelter the homeless during winter months? Rep. Steve Eliason says yes. (Deseret News) Homeless advocates ask for more affordable housing as Legislature slashes funding bill (Deseret News) Advocates for affordable housing, all-day kindergarten in Utah say they've been short-funded (Fox13) Judiciary Bill could triple Utahâs involuntary emergency mental health hold times (KUER) Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Utah sexual violence prevention advocates make final push as legislative session nears the end (KSL) Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Utah lawmakers, Union Pacific make nice: Bill to force clean switchers put on hold (Deseret News) Utah bill would kill local laws prohibiting exotic animal circus acts and puppy mills (Salt Lake Tribune) Great Salt Lake âhealingâ needs Native American input, Shoshone leader says (KUER) Transportation Last-minute $1 billion transportation infrastructure bill could change Utahâs roads and public transportation (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Headlines General Jay Evensen: How Russia united a fraying Europe in an instant (Deseret News) Former national security adviser compares Ukraine's president to Davy Crockett (KSL) (Editor's note: hopefully he does not meet the same end! ð³) Ukrainians in Utah react to President Joe Biden's State of the Union Speech (KUTV) Sen. Mike Lee says itâs âinappropriateâ for president to tout Supreme Court nomineeâs race, gender (Deseret News) Theresa Dear: Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson. She is qualified (Deseret News) Global sanctions are pummeling Russia, but will they also cool Utahâs red-hot economy? (Deseret News) âOur valuable residents are being displacedâ: Springdale halts new transient lodging applications (Salt Lake Tribune) Police: Utah woman found with thousands of fentanyl pills, 9 pounds meth (Fox13) Environment Benji Backer: Young Americans don't want radical change on climate issues. They want balance. (Deseret News) As oil prices climb, Utah's Uintah Basin prepares to make long-awaited profits (KUTV) COVID Corner 278 new cases, 8 new deaths Missionaries at Provo MTC no longer need COVID-19 vaccination, testing; masks now optional (Deseret News) Salt Lake City mayor terminates mask mandate in city buildings, vehicles (Salt Lake Tribune) National Headlines Politics Biden to America: Weâre going to be OK (Politico) 13 quotes to remember from President Bidenâs State of the Union (Deseret News) Ukraine presses Biden, senators to hit Russian energy exports (Politico) McConnell clashes with Rick Scott over Republican agenda (Politico) Progressive favorite Casar wins primary for redrawn Texas district (The Hill) Texas Gov. Abbott and Beto O'Rourke are set for an election clash after primary wins (NPR) Meet Jessica Cisneros, the 28-year-old immigration lawyer who forced a veteran Democrat into a Texas runoff (Washington Post) Biden delivers a speech heavy on bipartisan appeals (NPR) In an extraordinary breach of decorum, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) yelled out at President Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday (The Hill) Ukraine Assassination plot against Zelensky was foiled and unit sent to kill him was âdestroyed,â Ukraine says (Washington Post) The impossible suddenly became possible. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Westâs assumptions about the world became unsustainable. (The Atlantic) Europeâs sleeping giant awakens. Politics in Berlin has undergone a cataclysm that no one saw coming. (The Atlantic) U.S. bans all Russian flights from its airspace (Politico) GOP senators push back hard on Trump's praise of Putin (The Hill) Belarus president stands in front of battle map indicating Moldova invasion plans (The Hill) Russia says forces take first large city in Ukraine while Zelenskyy says the battle for Kherson still rages (New York Times) Ukrainians say they are fighting on in southern city of Kherson (Reuters) Russia batters Ukraine; both sides say ready for more talks (AP) U.N. set to hold vote that would demand Russia end war in Ukraine (NPR) Ukraineâs president says Russian missile hit site of Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial (Washington Post) Ukraine: Putin has already carried out war crimes - Boris Johnson (BBC) As convoy approaching Ukrainian capital appears stalled, Russia unleashes greater firepower (Washington Post) Ukrainian maternity ward moves to basement for shelter (AP) TikTok war: How Russia's invasion of Ukraine played to social media's youngest audience (Reuters) Trump calls the Russian invasion 'a Holocaust,' urges Russia to stop fighting (The Hill) | | |
News Releases Local business leaders to provide entrepreneurial mentorship for high school seniors A new program for high school seniors is coming to Salt Lake County. Business leaders in the community and Granite School District have partnered to launch the CEO, or Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, Program giving high school seniors the opportunity and skills to create businesses of their own. The program effectively creates a bridge between the business community and the schools. The Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship created the CEO program as a way to provide high school students of all skill sets and backgrounds the opportunity to be successful in a transformational experience that inspires entrepreneurial thinking and develops the workforce of tomorrow. Created in 2008, the program has grown to 64 programs in seven states, this being the first of its kind in Utah. (Read/Watch More) Sen. Romney comments on the Presidentâs State of the Union Address U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) made the following comments after President Bidenâs State of the Union address. Russiaâs unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine is at the forefront of our minds. The world is witnessing the strength and resolve of the people of Ukraine. The President has successfully brought together our friends and allies to coordinate a unified and powerful response to Putinâs actions. That being said, I had hoped to hear the President address the investment needs of our military and ways to strengthen our national defense. With the nefarious actions of Russia and Putin, and the rising threat of China, itâs critical that the U.S. remain the worldâs top military. And thatâs not going to happen if we donât continue to invest in our military. And speaking of China: Yes, Russia is the problem of today. But we must not forget that China is operating in the background and remains the problem of tomorrow. The President only mentioned China twice in his speech tonight. We must not fail to acknowledge that China is on a quest to become the worldâs economic, military, and geopolitical superpower. Nearly every strategic decision we make must be looked at with the lens of our competition with China. (Read/Watch More) Rep. Blake Mooreâs statement on President Joe Bidenâs State of the Union Address Tonight, Congressman Blake Moore issued the following statement after President Joe Bidenâs State of the Union address. âI appreciated the opportunity to attend President Bidenâs State of the Union address. The devastating situation in Ukraine has brought unity amid tragedy, and I continue to be inspired by President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian peopleâs resiliency and strength. I also appreciated Bidenâs call to fund our police, strengthen our border, and support our veterans.
âHowever, as we deal with grave crises at home and abroad, the presidentâs words were hollow. His destructive responses have undermined Americaâs national power. (Read More) Rep. Owens statement on President Bidenâs State of the Union Address Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) released the following statement after attending President Bidenâs State of the Union address. âAs innocent men, women, and children fight for their lives in the streets of Ukraine, President Biden tonight claimed that âwe were ready.â Americans know the truth: This Administration unleashed a failed foreign policy strategy that only enabled the evil that is Vladimir Putin. I urge President Biden to impose tighter sanctions on Russia, supply more aid to Ukraine, and unlock the full power of American energy independence. âOnce again, President Bidenâs agenda fails to meet the ongoing threats to the safety, security, and prosperity of Utahns in the Fourth District, Americans across the nation, and our allies around the world.â (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Campaign filing period: Feb 28-March 4 (early this year!) Utah legislative session ends â Mar 4, 2022, midnight GOP caucus night â Mar 8, 2022 Fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas hosted by the Hatch Foundation â Mar 11, 2022, 7 pm. Register here. Dem. caucus night â Mar 22 Last day for a registered voter to change voter affiliation before the regular primary election. - Mar 31 Ballots are mailed - June 7 Primary election day - June 28 General election - Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 1778 - Nathanael Greene is appointed Quartermaster General of the Continental Army under George Washington. 1807 - Congress abolishes the African slave trade within the jurisdiction of the United States. The widespread trade of enslaved people within the South was not prohibited, however, and children of enslaved people automatically became enslaved themselves. 1836 - Texas declares independence from Mexico. 1865 - Freedman's Bureau founded for Black Education 1877 - US Electoral Commission declares Rutherford B. Hayes (R) winner of the presidential election with an electoral vote of 185-184 against Samuel J. Tilden (D) 1899 - Mt. Rainier National Park is created. 1903 - The Martha Washington Hotel opens in New York City, the first exclusively for women. 1904 - Theodore Giesel is born. 1917 - Puerto Ricans become US citizens and are immediately recruited for the war effort. 1923 - Hovenweep National Monument, located in Utah and Colorado, is established. 1955 - Black teenager Claudette Colvin was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a public bus. 1958 - 1st surface crossing of Antarctic continent is completed in 99 days. 1965 - âThe Sound of Musicâ is released. It goes on to become one of the most popular musical films of all time. 1974 - Grand jury concludes that President Richard Nixon is involved in the Watergate cover-up. 1978 - Grave robbers steal Charlie Chaplinâs body. 2000 - Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet heads home after being told the UK would not extradite him on torture charges. 2016 - US astronauts Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to earth after nearly a year (340 days), setting an ISS record. Wise Words "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
â Albert Einstein Lighter Side âMany lawmakers wore the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow. Itâs a show of solidarity not seen since the last âMinionsâ movie.â â STEPHEN COLBERT | | |
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